Day: June 23, 2024

DUBAI: H.H. Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, Chairman of The Executive Council of Dubai, and Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Dubai Future Foundation (DFF), today approved the launch of the next phase of the ‘Dubai Future Solutions’ initiative.

The ‘Dubai Future Solutions – Prototypes for Humanity’ initiative will be overseen by H.H. Sheikha Latifa bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Chairperson of the Dubai Culture and Arts Authority (Dubai Culture).

The initiative aims to foster the development and implementation of innovative prototypes and pilot models, delivering transformative solutions from Dubai to the world.

This initiative aims to build on the successes achieved by the ‘Prototypes for Humanity’ initiative over the past nine years, and its efforts to advance innovation for the betterment of humanity.

Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed witnessed the signing of a cooperation agreement between the Dubai Future Foundation and the Hussain Sajwani – DAMAC Founda
tion (HSDF), which pledged AED100 million to support innovation and technology in Dubai and across the UAE. Signed by Khalfan Belhoul, CEO of DFF, and Hussain Sajwani, Founder and Chairman of DAMAC Properties, the agreement makes HSDF a strategic partner of the initiative.

Sheikh Hamdan affirmed that the initiative serves as a comprehensive platform to support innovators and designers of future solutions around the world and nurture top talent and creative thinkers across all future-oriented sectors. It is a pivotal step towards realising the vision of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, to transform Dubai into a global innovation hub, he said.

“The objective of the ‘Dubai Future Solutions – Prototypes for Humanity’ initiative is to create a dynamic platform that attracts leading innovations, projects, and experimental ideas from across the world, including contributions from bright students, top universities and international institutions,
with the aim of transforming these ideas into impactful solutions benefiting humanity. We extend our gratitude to Hussain Sajwani for supporting Dubai’s innovation journey and his dedication to advancing future technologies across sectors,” he added.

H.H. Sheikha Latifa bint Mohammed said the directives of H.H. Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed provide a strong impetus to Dubai’s journey of innovation, entrepreneurship, future design, and human empowerment. They serve as a guide to strengthen international collaborations and partnerships and accelerate the advancement of new technologies and innovations.

“To achieve these goals, we are committed to cultivating strategic partnerships with government entities, the private sector, global universities, and academic, cultural, technological and creative institutions. Our objective is to spotlight a variety of future-oriented ideas and innovations that have a positive impact on society, ultimately transforming them into tangible achievements that will serve humanity,’ s
he added.

Under the guidance of H.H. Sheikha Latifa bint Mohammed, the collaboration between DFF and HSDF will establish a global framework to enhance partnerships with academic institutions, students, laboratories, startups, and leading innovators worldwide. This initiative is designed to attract leading global innovations to Dubai, offering a platform for innovators to exhibit their work, drive community improvement, address significant global challenges, and convert experimental projects into thriving startups.

In addition, the initiative supports innovators and startups across various future sectors, enhancing job creation, investment opportunities, and market expansion. It also aids in patenting innovations and helps transition ideas into viable companies, while providing investment avenues for innovators looking to expand from Dubai to global markets. These objectives will be realised in collaboration with the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) and Dubai Culture.

Furthermore, an annual event
will be hosted at the Dubai Future District, showcasing the best 100 innovations from the ‘Dubai Future Solutions – Prototypes for Humanity’ initiative. The top innovations will be honoured during the annual ceremony.

DFF will also support this initiative through various national programmes, including the Dubai Research and Development Program and the Dubai Robotics and Automation Program. Leveraging its integrated ecosystem, DFF will promote entrepreneurship through AREA 2071 and the Dubai Future Accelerators (DFA), spotlighting promising projects and talents.

This announcement builds on the success achieved by the ‘Prototypes for Humanity’, an initiative of the Art Dubai Group, over the past nine years. Under the patronage of H.H. Sheikha Latifa bint Mohammed, the initiative has showcased hundreds of innovative projects from over 10,000 applications submitted by students from more than 700 universities worldwide.

The ‘Prototypes for Humanity’ initiative has been supported by its founding partners: Dubai
Culture, DIFC, A.R.M Holding, and the Investment Corporation of Dubai. In the past year, the initiative received over 2,800 project submissions encompassing more than 200 research fields across diverse technological and future-oriented sectors.

Source: Emirates News Agency

DUBAI: Key partners of the ‘Dubai Future Solutions – Prototypes for Humanity’ initiative launched by H.H. Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, Chairman of The Executive Council of Dubai, and Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Dubai Future Foundation (DFF), have expressed their commitment to supporting the initiative, providing an impetus to the emirate’s efforts to bring together innovators from across the world to develop solutions for global challenges.

Essa Kazim, Governor, Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC), said, “Twenty years of pioneering human capital, tech and innovation has led to DIFC emerging as the largest innovation ecosystem in the region. As a result, DIFC’s growing global community of tech and innovation firms benefit from access to the most advanced regulations around innovation, access to funding, and enablement of innovation. It is therefore only fitting that we continue to support the next generation of start-ups and scale-ups by driving
the ‘Dubai Future Solutions – Innovation for Global Challenges’ initiative forward, as we together shape the future of finance’.

Hala Badri, Director-General of Dubai Culture and Arts Authority (Dubai Culture), said the initiative aligns with the Authority’s strategic roadmap and the Dubai Government’s vision and future aspirations to transform the emirate into a hub for innovative ideas. She noted that the oversight of the initiative by H.H. Sheikha Latifa bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Chairperson of Dubai Culture and Arts Authority, will effectively support innovations and turn them into tangible projects that serve humanity.

‘The initiative provides a distinctive platform for enhancing cooperation and integrating the roles of the public and private sectors and academic institutions to achieve Dubai’s vision for advancing innovation and building a sustainable future. The initiative will attract the best projects and technology to Dubai, and transform the spirit of innovation among entrepreneurs and
investors into concrete solutions to future challenges,” she added.

Hussain Sajwani, Founder and Chairman of DAMAC Group, remarked, ‘We are privileged to support the initiatives of the Dubai government under the visionary leadership of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, and the directives of H.H. Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum. We are honoured to be part of the future of Dubai’s innovation and technology, and contribute to bolstering its position as a global hub for the brightest minds, talents, and competencies, as well as cutting-edge AI solutions that drive Dubai’s entrepreneurial ecosystem.’

Khalfan Belhoul, CEO of Dubai Future Foundation (DFF), emphasised that the new phase of the ‘Dubai Future Solutions’ initiative reflects Dubai’s concerted efforts to enhance the innovation ecosystem. ‘This aligns with the inspiring vision of our leadership to solidify Dubai’s status as a global innovation hub and a home for the bri
ghtest minds and talents across various future sectors,” he said.

“This advanced phase of the initiative will open new horizons for attracting top minds and the most innovative and impactful ideas to Dubai, in partnership with academic institutions and innovators worldwide. The support provided by Hussain Sajwani – DAMAC Foundation for this initiative underscores the importance of collaboration between the government and private sectors in Dubai. This partnership highlights the vital role the private sector plays in advancing the innovation ecosystem and realising Dubai’s vision,” he added.

Tadeu Baldani Caravieri, Director of Prototypes for Humanity, said, ‘We are delighted to be partnering with Dubai Future Solutions and look forward to supporting their commitment towards innovations for a better planet. We are also deeply grateful for the unwavering support of H.H. Sheikha Latifa bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum who, since 2015, has supported and enabled the programme’s evolution. The growing integrat
ion of Prototypes for Humanity into Dubai’s thriving creative and innovation ecosystems, under the guidance and vision of H.H. Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, will fuel the development of impactful innovations from Dubai to the world.’

Source: Emirates News Agency